The story behind Wilhelm
Borrowed from German Wilhelm. Doublet of William.
Other language forms and explanations (2)
Polish entry
Borrowed from German Wilhelm, from Old High German Willahelm.
Afrikaans entry
From German Wilhelm.
Pronunciation
US English (ARPAbet): W IH1 L HH EH2 L M
Regional pronunciation variants
- Polish: /ˈvil.xɛlm/
- Afrikaans: /vəlˈɦɛləm/
This is a US English dictionary reading of the spelling; personal pronunciations may differ. Digits mark stress: 0 is unstressed, 1 is primary, 2 is secondary. Pronunciation source and notation.
Popularity
Wilhelm ranked #4133 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Wilhelm
William
From Middle English William, from Anglo-Norman Willame, from Old High German Willahelm, from Proto-Germanic *Wiljahelmaz (> Latin Gulielmus), from Proto-Germanic *wiljô…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends M
- same syllable count
- similar length
Wilyam
a male given name from English, equivalent to English William
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends M
- same syllable count
- similar length
Wilfrid
Inherited from Old English Wilfriþ, from wil (“will”) + friþ (“peace”). Borrowed from German, equivalent of English Wilfred. Doublet of Wilfried.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Wilfried
Borrowed from German, equivalent of English Wilfred. Doublet of Wilfrid.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends D
- same syllable count
- similar length
Wolfgang
Borrowed from German Wolfgang (reinforced by Medieval Latin Wolfgangus), from Middle High German Wolfgang, from Old High German Wolfgang, from wolf (“wolf”) + gang (“path,…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends G
- same syllable count
- similar length
Abram
From Hebrew אַבְרָם (ʾaḇrām).
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends M
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Wilhelm
Anneli
From German Anneli.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends I
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Bernd
Borrowed from German Bernd.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends D
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Claus
From Dutch and German Claus, a contraction of Nicolaus (“Nicholas”). The spelling Klaus is from more modern German Klaus and other Germanic languages.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends S
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Wilhelm
Albrecht
a male given name from German, equivalent to English Albert
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends T
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Alojz
Derived from German Alois.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Z
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Anneli
From German Anneli.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends I
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length